All-natural skincare is a huge chunk of the global beauty market now – but since it’s hard to know who the real heroes are without having a science degree and scrutinising the ingredients, we thought we’d provide some helpful signposting to genuinely sustainable products.
When it comes to choosing skincare and wellbeing products that aren’t just good for us, but are great for the wider world, there’s much to consider. Is the range mass-produced or packaged in unrecyclable plastic? Ingredients: organic or vegan? What’s their provenance and does the manufacturer use an ethical supply chain that hasn’t harmed animals? Is the company’s carbon footprint off the charts due to long-distance distribution, or does the maker offset emissions? There’s also a consideration that if we wouldn’t dream of ingesting certain chemicals, why would we be putting anything toxic on our bodies to be absorbed transdermally. And what does ‘pure’ or ‘natural’ really mean? These terms are as wishy-washy as ‘green’ and ‘kind’ – what we want to look for is trackable statements of positive impact and credible certifications from respected third parties, surely?
It’s rare to find a product that ticks every sustainability box, absolutely, but we can pick make-up or skincare that’s a hero in some way. In a world awash with kills-all-bacteria-good-as-well-as-bad triclosan, and foam-inducing sodium lauryl sulphate, we’re supporting change-makers who are innovating around genuinely biodegradable plastic-alternative packaging, committing to meaningful positive socio-economic impact for a local community through ethical ingredient sourcing, or championing businesses independently owned by ethical entrepreneurs – as well as treating ourselves to a product that is honest, effective and provides value for money when you think of the bigger picture.
